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Was at Job Lot in Hope Valley the other day and they had cases of syrup from Canada $10 per quart I have never seen real syrup sell that cheap Just wondering if the manufacturer has a surplus in Canada or if it has to do with the dollar exchange rate They also carry a brand by Howard's
I have seen the same price in our sam's club. I know one of the main forklift operators and he said it is coming in by the pallet load every couple of days. Don't recall the supplier but it was Canadian sourced.
That kinda hurts the industry when the box stores get involved Not fair to the small guy that makes and sells 50 or 100 gallons a year and in this case there is a sugar shack right by this particular store that is a small scale retail operation
I did read an article that said Canada supplies 80% of the syrup in the USA
With the maple industry growing and free trade from Canada box stores will continue to purchase from Canada. Time to redo the marketing strategy and focus on "buying local" and "supporting local business" to keep the prices up and create value in the minds of the consumer.
That's what the Amish not too far from here sell it for. Probably less if you buy a case or more at a time.
10$ quart= 40$ gallon = $3.62 /pound = $4.71/ pound in Canadian dollars, (1.30 exchange today)
Cost of Syrup $2.95 cad. = $1.76cad or 60% mark-up
Can of 540 ml is sometimes sold at $4.99 Cad in big stores, it is less than this.
No matter where the operation one must have a firm handle on costs and price point in your market to procure the most margin.
Even at 35% margin one can make a good profit as long as all costs are included for the operation.
60% margin without including the cost of your arch can sink an operation quickly.
I can't imagine the costs of big operations if you were to include all the pre season setup and maintenance required to have a large scale sugarbush My guess is many are "thinking" they are making more than they actually are however maybe buying and boiling operations have a higher profit margin and can distribute to box stores on a volume basis
I'll stick to the hobby plus operation I have and go to work M-F
Buy a quart of this syrup and taste the flavor. Most will find it to be rather unpleasant. Then ask your customers which they would rather have in their homes. A quart for 10.00 or a quart for 20.00 that brings smiles to the taste buds.